The Black Swan
by ArgPirates
Summary: Based off of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake. The infamous Black Swan has often been portrayed as an accomplice who served to tear the White Swan from her Prince. But the Black Swan was a woman too. A woman who loved deeply. Sess/Kag
1. Chapter 1

Howdy. I know some of you are sad that this is a new story instead of Phoenix Flight, but I PROMISE I'm working on it. I just decided to branch out a bit and have a couple of things to work on! Please enjoy!

Kagome sighed as she inspected herself in the mirror. Her hair that typically flowed, wavy, down to her waist was straightened out and was in the midst of being pulled into a sleek pile atop her head. She looked on, almost detached, as the light powder being applied to her face seemed to give her an otherworldly glow. The pale gloss being painted on her lips was doing much the same, the makeup erasing the rosy blush usually present upon her cheeks.

Her transformation was nearly complete. She looked down, fingering the delicate silk of her gown, a luxurious material her father hadn't seen fit to clothe her with until recently. It was dark as night and seemed weightless. She was glad of that, at least. Her heart was heavy enough without anything to bolster it.

"Father…" she tried, voice timid. "You're…certain that this is how I should dress?"

"My little swan…" he intoned darkly, stepping beyond the threshold of the doorway to stand closer to her, dark curls shining in the dim candlelight, red eyes smoldering. "I am certain that Inuyasha will be unable to look away."

Kagome ducked her head, knowing argument was futile. Of course Inuyasha would be entranced by her this evening. She was dressed in a way that made her look more willowy and tall, and her dress and makeup served to make her pale and glowing…much like Kikyou, her father's prisoner.

Inuyasha would likely not see Kagome behind this moonlit mask. He would miss the fuller lips and rosy cheeks. His eyes would skip over the blue shine of her hair, her heart shaped face, and her small and soft figure. Kagome didn't understand. If Inuyasha wanted her… wouldn't he want her looking like herself, not a shadow of Kikyou?

She was, however, new to the court. She had never caught sight of the glittering, gilded ladies, never seen the beautifully tailored men. Her father was the authority, the one who had served there as long as she could remember. She would listen to him, if it meant that she could finally be with her prince.

She allowed the servants to put the finishing touches on her face. Dark charcoal smoked her lids, causing her to appear so mysterious and daring. She looked like Kikyou…but not in the pure way the woman usually appeared. Her stomach clenched and she blinked very slowly, regaining her composure. She had no good feelings about this. She felt strangely trapped and panicked. Was this how it felt to have her dreams coming true?

Her father took in her finished appearance and smirked, catching a glossy strand of her hair that hung loose between his fingers. "Perfect."

Uncomfortably, Kagome realized that she wasn't sure if Naraku was actually referring to her.

She met Prince Inuyasha on the edge of the lake one summer evening. She had been picking moonflowers in the meadow that ran between the shore and the edge of the forest when he had stumbled out of the trees, hair tousled and unbound, searching the skies wildly with the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen. They were the color of burnished gold.

She had frozen, then, much like a doe caught in a hunter's range. It took the man a moment to notice her, picked moonflowers scattered about her feet.

"Oi," he said, voice rough but somehow gentle. "Didn't mean to scare you. Have you seen a swan around here?"

Kagome swallowed. The boy seemed nice enough, but her father had warned her of men coming in search of the particular white swan that floated in their lake.

The swan, with her strangely melancholic beauty, had been sought out once before, her father had said, by a man named Onigumo. Her father explained that this man had come to a terrible end, and Kagome did not want to see history repeat itself, especially with this rather handsome silver haired youth.

"My apologies," she replied, bending to retrieve her flowers. "but I have not seen any swans."

"Damn," he had muttered then, kicking at the dust upon the ground. He looked up at her then, and stared openly for a few moments. She was slight in figure, with dark hair that floated about her hips. With her back to the east, the woman was silhouetted by the moonlight, making it hard to see. "Kikyou?" he asked.

The girl in the ice blue gown shook her head slightly. "No, I am Kagome." And at that moment a tentative friendship was born.

Many a night that summer Inuyasha would visit his dark haired friend. They would share stories and secrets whilst sitting astride the pebbly shore of the beautiful lake, which would often reflect the moon with a strangely mirrored quality. There were many times where Inuyasha was mesmerized by it, but Kagome barely paid it any mind. After all, she had lived along it her entire life. She was watchful of the swan, however.

She knew the secret behind the lily-white bird that often swam near the old willow tree across from Kagome's meadow during the day. On nights where the moon hung low over the water, the swan could swim into its light and transform into a beautiful woman with creamy white skin, long dark hair, and sad eyes.

Kagome had known the woman since she was a child. She knew little about Kikyou's origins; her father had informed her in his typical vague manner that she was the daughter of a nobleman long perished and never to speak of it to her, lest she cause Kikyou to relive painful memories. She had been told about the curse, however, which had been cast long before Kagome had been born.

In addition to being ageless, Kikyou could only regain her human form if she remained in the lake when the moon rose over it, therefore meaning that she could never leave. She took the shape of the pure white swan at all other times. In all, Kikyou was in a very vulnerable position, something Kagome never forgot.

She loved soft-spoken Kikyou with all of her ethereal beauty, and so swore to herself to protect the sister of her heart at all costs.

Kagome was no simpleton. She knew that Inuyasha had been searching for Kikyou on that night with the moonflowers. As much as she enjoyed the company of her half demon friend, she would often catch him scanning the skies or listening for some clue that Kikyou was nearby. She gleaned from Inuyasha that the two had been betrothed at a young age, and it was with an air of guilt that she kept Kikyou and Inuyasha apart.

As Kagome was a very loving girl, she held the two close to her heart. Her father paid her little to no mind, content to allow his daughter free reign over the sprawling grounds, and so she kept her secret. It was Kikyou her father watched carefully. She knew if Inuyasha were to be reunited with her, her father would surely find out, which likely meant punishment for herself and Kikyou, not to mention probable injury for Inuyasha.

Her father, Naraku, was overprotective to a fault in some ways, yet absent in several others. In her twenty years of age, she had seen him fly into enough rages to know that the knowledge of a strange boy entering his grounds habitually should be closely guarded.

Summer turned into autumn, and winter followed soon after that. Kagome found that she was no longer befriending Inuyasha to serve as a distraction. His casual manner and rough exterior drew her in, and before long Kagome found herself smitten. So blinded was she by love that she failed to notice the swan one icy evening as she landed on the still water of the lake.

That night, Kagome waited many hours for her half demon, slowly growing more worried and despondent. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the figure of her father walking along the store, wrapped in his luxurious furs. Kagome pulled her own cloak closer as he approached her.

"My daughter," he said, "why do you look so melancholy? I have some news that should please you."

"You do?" she asked, wiping a tear from her blue-gray eyes and moving to stand before him.

"My little swan," he said to her, a smirk about his features. "Deceiving me has never been your strong suit. I know what you have been doing behind my back with that half demon."

Kagome froze, thinking that perhaps she had missed the sarcastic quality of his voice, but Naraku's smile wasn't as vicious as usual.

"I was pleasantly surprised to see how well you distracted him from Kikyou. You did so well, in fact that…" he trailed off momentarily, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. "…the half demon prince approached me and asked for your hand in marriage."

A slow smile overtook her face then, slightly disbelieving. "He has?"

Naraku nodded. "He will announce it to the entire kingdom tomorrow night, and I plan to send you to his castle looking like the princess you will become."

After living without the kind of fatherly influence she assumed most people enjoyed, her father's sudden and wonderful acceptance of her, paired with Inuyasha's proposal, caused her to smile broadly and follow his lead without question.

It was easy to do so until she began dressing for the event, at which point she started to notice how much like Kikyou she was made to look. Rationally, logically, she knew that Naraku had to have some ulterior motive, but she chose to ignore it in favor of the soft, warm feelings of love.

To be surprised by Inuyasha's proposal would be an understatement. They had never done anything except the occasional hug or even rarer hand-holding; frankly nothing to suggest marriage, of all things. But, she thought, looking at her changed appearance, it was something she desired…perhaps the _only _thing she had ever truly wanted.

If she were married, she would be free of her father forever. She would no longer have to endure his drunken rages or his mostly absent, manipulative, twisted form of fatherly affection.

At that moment it did not occur to Kagome that she should be more delighted about her groom than the notion of escape.


	2. Chapter 2

The castle was magnificent in its white washed elegance. The light from thousands of lanterns gave the building an incredible ambience, and it caused butterflies to become loose in the pit of Kagome's stomach. She couldn't help but crane her neck to view the architecture as she was escorted inside.

The rest of the building seemed blurred as she caught sight of the festivities. Painted women wearing embroidered silks of every color seemed to float across the polished floors, their coiffed hair at the height of fashion. Kagome knew this, even in her ignorance of the court, and couldn't help but be awed at the sight.

Suddenly, she was standing before a mighty dais within an outdoor courtyard. The stars shone brightly overhead and the weather was balmy and calm, setting the perfect stage for her happy ending.

"Presenting the lovely Princess Kikyou!" came a voice, echoing slightly across the room. A hush fell quickly over the crowd, and Kagome felt the color draining from her face. All of her insecurities about the night returned with a vengeance, constricting, suffocating her.

"Kikyou?" She whispered timidly. "I'm afraid I'm…actually…"

"It really is you…" came a voice from behind her. She whirled to see a well-dressed Inuyasha before her, with a rapt and tender expression across his handsome face. Kagome felt her heart constrict as she realized the love in his golden eyes was not meant for her.

With a horrifying jolt, she understood her father's uncharacteristic behavior from before. It was likely that Kikyou was in grave danger!

"Inuyasha!" She cried, rushing to him. "There's something I must-"

She was interrupted by Inuyasha's finger upon her lips.

"You don't have to apologize, Kikyou. It's not your fault," he said gently, taking her by the hand and ushering her forward so that the entire court got a clear view of his long lost princess.

"You don't understand-" she tried again, intimidated by the many eyes upon her. What had her father done? "Inuyasha-"

"This is my betrothed, Princess Kikyou!" Inuyasha shouted, grinning with triumph. "We all thought that she was lost to us many years ago, but the gods have seen fit to return her to me!" he lowered his voice. "And I don't plan on losing you ever again."

Kagome watched, frozen in panic as Inuyasha pledged his undying love to her, vowing the most unbreakable vows. Tears appeared and flowed torrentially down her cheeks, smearing the dark powder around her eyes.

Her heart felt as if it was being ripped from her chest when every ear could suddenly hear a dark chuckle.

"Foolish Prince," her father laughed, walking up to the raised platform on which they stood. He was swathed in silk and fur, even more so than the Emperor sitting behind Inuyasha on the throne. His eyes were glowing red with mirth.

"Are you so slow that you cannot recognize your own bride?" he sneered, sending a hot flash of energy at his own daughter. Inuyasha watched in horror as she let out a cry and crumpled to the floor in a spray of silk.

"Kikyou! NO!" He roared, diving to her side.

Kagome felt her heart crack, then crack again as she heard her father's laughter. Inuyasha hurriedly brushed the now tangled hair out of her face and took in her smudged and disheveled appearance.

"Kik…K-Kagome?" Inuyasha shouted, looking anguished and furious.

"Inuyasha…I-I tried to…" she forced out through the pain. It felt like she was lying on a bed of knives, and she couldn't seem to catch her breath enough to get words out.

"How could you? I thought you were my friend!" He cried out forcefully, releasing her onto the stone ground with a thud she could feel in her teeth, as well as within her heart as it cracked even more deeply than before.

"You're just as much a monster as he is!" he spat, running towards Naraku without a second glance.

Kagome's heart shattered then, into thousands of sharp pieces. She could almost feel physical pain in her chest as she watched the man she loved engage her father in battle.

Inuyasha snarled when Naraku abruptly disappeared, then whirled back in the direction of the daughter he had left behind. Red bled into his eyes; he was shaking with anger.

"Where is Kikyou!" he snarled, wrenching her up by the hair. "Tell me!"

Vaguely, in the background, she could hear his mother, the Empress, admonishing Inuyasha for his sudden violent behavior. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the Emperor rise and make his way toward them.

"The…the lake," she told him, tears still falling freely down her cheeks. "Inuyasha, please-"

"I'll deal with you after," he growled, setting her loose. He drew his sword out of its scabbard and in a flash, was gone.

Kagome watched him leave, suddenly feeling hot and achy all over. She curled in on herself, sobbing brokenly before the entire court. Shame ate away at her and she hid her face, wishing she could disappear.

The pain from her father's attack wasn't fading, either. It seemed to be intensifying, growing hotter and more painful by the second. She realized then what her father's intention was. She knew too much and was too closely aligned with Kikyou and Inuyasha to be trusted. He was silencing her.

A pair of faces loomed over her suddenly, but Kagome couldn't make out any features. Someone was touching her, and it burned like fire. She screamed, or at least, she thought she did. Her vision was tunneling, and she thought that she felt her bones shifting jarringly within her body.

A high keening hurt her ears, and she clasped her hands to them, but the sound only seemed to intensify. She realized that she was indeed screaming. Her back arched unnaturally as she felt painful pinpricks covering every inch of her body.

Witnesses would later speak of how glossy black feathers exploded from the young woman on the floor, who slowly shrank and stretched until an obsidian swan stood before them.

The Emperor, who had been kneeling by the poor girl's side, seized his wife and jumped backwards as the swan's dark wings unfurled. Wobbly at first, the graceful bird took off towards the lake, flapping her wings almost frantically.


	3. Chapter 3

It would be many years before Kagome would truly come back to herself.

She swam the lake despondently by day, wandering the empty and crumbling grounds at night. Her hair grew long and tangled, her bearing extremely wild.

The beautiful silk gown she had been wearing the night everything fell apart was nothing more than tattered rags, covered in mud and other lake-related detritus. Kagome was sure that her scent was unpleasant, but could not seem to care when the notion arose in her mind, which was rare.

She watched as her father's estate fell into ruin, standing silently by as looters swarmed the old castle. She could not put any energy into worrying; besides, it wasn't as if Naraku kept his most valuable treasures in a place where thieves could easily reach.

She lived as a lakeside wraith and let a time slip by, almost without her notice. The lake was as ageless as she was, making it easy to forget that there was a world outside. It was hard to recall that the key to her humanity lay within the moonlight as well; she would remain as a swan for months on end, sometimes becoming human again completely by accident.

When this occurred, Kagome would spend her nights sobbing in the comfort of her old bedroom, even though the sheets had long rotted away and the mattress sat in tatters. She feared the sun, then, afraid that it would take away her sanity as quickly as it took away the night.

Often she would wonder what she could have done to deserve this fate. Although she was shy, at her core she was a highly social creature. As time went on, she grew to realize that the only one keeping her alone was herself.

One night she was perched on the window ledge of the tallest tower, viewing the moon in its pale glory. Beyond, she could see the beginnings of civilization being raised, and her expression hardened.

What was stopping her now, from living life the way she wanted? She was free of her controlling father, and free of any obligation to Kikyou or Inuyasha. The days were impossible due to her curse, but absolutely nothing was stopping her from taking the night as she saw fit.

Smirking grimly, she looked down at her filthy clothing and tangled hair.

In a whirl of tattered silk, Kagome made her way down through the ruined castle, deep into the dungeons. It was darker than she was used to, but nothing truly frightened her anymore. What was more, her long exile into night had enhanced her vision, making it easy for her to find the way in darkness.

In the bottom-most level, there was a single sculpture of a spider set into the wall, which she pressed firmly, watching as it sunk into the wall and fell away to reveal a heavily padlocked door. Smirking, she reached into her gown and removed an embroidered pouch that had been recovered from the bones of her father.

Inside were some coins, in addition to the silver key that matched the lock before her. As she drew it from the bag, her fingers caught on a lock of black hair curled up at the bottom. It was tied in the middle by a white ribbon that she recognized as Kikyou's. Brows furrowing, she stared at it, wondering what it was doing in Naraku's possession. After a few more seconds, she shrugged and tossed it over her shoulder, eyes growing cold as the memories of betrayal began resurfacing. She turned the key within the lock with more force than was probably required, but the padlock opened with a click, allowing Kagome to enter the treasury.

It was piled with gold, in some cases to the ceiling. Taking a cursory glance, she swept some coins into the pouch and turned to leave, but something glinted and caught her eye. Lying on a table a little bit away from the door was a jewelry box, and a moonstone pendant lay before it. Smirking at the rather appropriate necklace, she picked it up as well, whisking out of the chamber quickly.

Sesshomaru, Crown Prince of the West, marched down the hall of the old palace, displeasure slightly evident on his handsome features. Almost one thousand years of non-stop military service towards his family, and his father's idea of a reward was laughable. He grimaced internally at the memory of the meeting he had just left.

"My obedient son. I have decided to allocate to you the Western Provinces in return for your service to this country and its people." The look on his father's face was proud and vaguely affectionate. It was clear that he was glad to have his heir home at last.

"Only the West, Father?" he recalled asking, pointedly referring to the fact that he was well over the age where most sires would relinquish all of their holdings to the eldest son. His father should be retiring to enjoy his grandchildren, the spawn of his idiot brother, not ruling over the Center Provinces.

"Yes, Sesshomaru," his father replied, voice sounding firm, but tired. "I would be appreciative if you remembered the bargain we made before you ran off on a millennium of crusades." Sesshomaru frowned slightly, silver brows furrowing at was to come next.

"I want you to find a woman and settle down before you take on the responsibility of all six Western and Central Provinces," The dog demon Emperor stated. "A strong leader requires the support of a family." He looked to his left, smiling briefly at the Empress, who returned the gesture warmly before he turned to regard his son again.

" I did not require a woman when I led your armies, Father," Sesshomaru pointed out, working to keep the frustration out of his voice. "And we did win the war."

"Yes, my son, but that is war. You must learn to live in an era of peace, and where better to do that than the West? It has the most land and resources in the entire country, and I've heard that the nightlife in the capital, Occident, is rather fantastic."

Sesshomaru watched in disbelief as his father winked at him.

"Do not be unhappy with me, Sesshomaru. You are my eldest son and true heir; nothing has changed. I merely want you to wait just a bit longer to come into your birthright." His expression softened. "You shouldn't be condemned to rule alone."

His son quietly let out a slow sigh, keeping his golden eyes trained upon the man before him. "Yes, Father. I will make my way to Occident. The palace there is still in ruins, I assume?"

"About that," his father said. "You are free to do as you wish with the palace; but remember that Inuyasha nor his wife will set foot there. You will need to make arrangements for the entire family when we travel there for the Moon Festival in six months' time."

Sesshomaru nodded once, intrigued by the ruins that used to belong to Naraku, the former guardian of the West. Inuyasha had been adamantly refusing to step inside them for eight hundred years. It sparked his curiosity rather well. Perhaps this 'loving exile' could prove to be interesting. With a deep bow, he took leave of his parents and headed for his quarters to prepare for the journey.

It became clear as soon as he entered his rooms that there had been no room to refuse. The servants were already moving the bulk of his luggage to the loading bay, and his assistant Miroku was standing in his study, gazing out the window overlooking the sprawling forest grounds.

"It seems that already I have worn out my welcome," Sesshomaru murmured cynically, giving Miroku cause to turn around.

Miroku was an envoy from the neighboring country, or at least that was what Sesshomaru's father called him. In truth, the human was a hostage, kept in the empire in order to keep a hold on the fragile politics between their countries, while Sesshomaru's favorite niece was being fostered at the Eastern Palace-by-the-Sea in exchange.

Like most of the royal family of Orient, Miroku had dark hair and grey eyes, set in a handsomely pale face. His eyebrows were often quirked, and a smile constantly played around his lips. He was deceptively jovial and humorous; for underneath the easy-going exterior was one of the shrewdest beings Sesshomaru had ever met.

He was a man truly gifted in the art of observation, but it was a necessary skill in the Court of the Moon, especially for a human.

Miroku was one of the last of the Royal Line, which made his value as a hostage nearly priceless, but Sesshomaru viewed him more like a brother. They trained and fought together, and Miroku had proved himself more than capable in both battle and matters of state.

His friend gave him a smirk as he lowered himself onto one of the many cushions littering the floor of the room.

"Yes, it's so depressing to be sent to the biggest party hub in the empire, and even more so since I am forced to come along with you."

Sesshomaru gave him a blank stare. "I don't…party."

Miroku grinned. "Which makes this hilarious."

"Hn." Sesshomaru replied, turning noiselessly to enter his bedroom. "I take it that we depart tomorrow, given the speed that my things were packed?"

"You're correct," Miroku answered in his business tone, eyes growing distant as he analyzed the schedule on his biometric-interface. Most preferred to refer to the imbedded computer simply, calling it the com lens. "Right after breakfast."

Sesshomaru nodded; Miroku bowed. "Good night, your grace."

"Hn."

As the dog demon stripped for bed, his mind wandered to the Matter of the Swan, the official name for what occurred in the west eight hundred years before. He had been away at war at the time, but he remembered the look on his mother's face when she told the story. The tale had always fascinated him, and he recalled that no one had ever found the black swan girl.

He let a rare smirk grace his features as he fell into bed. Perhaps he'd bring her home. That would be quite a sight. Inuyasha would probably have puppies.

Before he rolled over to sleep, he made a mental reminder to have a video conversation with Rin before he departed. He would have to make arrangements to have a gift sent from his new lodgings.


End file.
